What Did You Come to Dongshan Prefecture For?

Shen Congrong was furious and turned to leave.

He went directly to Prefect Fang's residence, and as soon as he entered, he saw more than twenty officials discussing matters.

Shen Congrong looked at them and asked, "What are you all talking about?"

Prefect Fang sighed and said:

"We're talking about the drought; it hasn't rained for a long time."

I don't know when it will rain. We'll just have to see what we do next, because we're running out of food soon."

Shen Congrong frowned and asked, "Is it that serious?"

Prefect Fang nodded and said, "Of course it's serious. There was a locust plague last year, and if there's another drought, I'm afraid the people simply won't be able to hold on."

Shen Congrong looked at them and asked, "Do you have any good strategies?"

Everyone shook their heads. Even the local officials were powerless to do anything about natural disasters and man-made calamities like drought.

Suddenly, Shen Yu'an, the Yunxi County, spoke up:

"I don't think there's absolutely no way out. Someone gave me a crop called sweet potato."

It can be grown using only sweet potato vines. This crop is very drought-resistant, so I think it's pretty good.

Prefect Fang looked at him and said:

"Shen Yu'an, why didn't you bring this out sooner?"

Is this thing really drought-resistant? How do you know?

Shen Yu'an looked at him and said, "This was given to me by Zhou Wanwan."

Before Prefect Fang could speak, Shen Congrong interrupted:

"No way? No way? You actually believe what a six-year-old girl says?"

What does she know? How could she possibly know how to farm? Besides, that brat is cunning and wicked.

She emptied my house and estate.

Shen Yu'an looked at him and said:

"Lord Shen, please be careful with your words. Zhou Wanwan would never do such a thing, especially since you yourself said she is only 6 years old."

She only knows how to go up the mountain to dig for wild vegetables and catch wild rabbits every day, how could she possibly move your house?

You have too much prejudice against a child.

Prefect Fang coughed and said, "Did Zhou Wanwan say this? What else did she say? Why didn't she tell me?"

Shen Yu'an glanced at him indifferently and said, "She was going to tell you that day! But she got locked in the woodshed."

Prefect Fang choked, coughed, and asked, "How many sweet potato vines are there? How much can one acre produce?"

Shen Yu'an said calmly, "Not much, maybe two or three thousand catties!"

In fact, Shen Yu'an wasn't sure either, as an acre of land could usually only yield two or three hundred catties of grain.

But Zhou Wanwan said that the sweet potatoes could yield four to five thousand catties per mu, and he wasn't sure!

I can only give an understatement.

But that was enough to cause a stir.

Prefect Fang confirmed again, "Are you sure it's two or three thousand catties? What if we can't grow that many sweet potatoes?"

Shen Yu'an replied loudly:

"How would I know what to do? Zhou Wanwan already said that's all we can grow. Believe it or not, it's up to you."

Anyway, Yunxi County will definitely plant it, but I don't know if you will plant it or not.

"Because even if you wanted to plant them, you wouldn't have that many sweet potato vines."

Shen Congrong spat and said:

"That's utter nonsense. In all these years, I've never heard of an acre of land producing several thousand kilograms of grain."

Go and call Zhou Wanwan over, let's have a good talk with her."

Zhou Wanwan just finished eating lobster and was extremely satisfied.

She drank a cup of milk tea and said:

"Tonight we're having fried chicken, and then some milk tea and fruit tea. There are lots of bullfrogs here!"

Let's make some spicy bullfrog tonight, absolutely delicious!

Zheng Xing'an looked at her and asked, "What kind of 'zi' is 'juejuezi'?"

Zhou Wanwan chuckled and said:

"It means it's very good, Xing'an. Make the arrangements. By the way, didn't we have a lot of wine before?"

The wine brewed by Zhao Qingxi and her brother is really delicious, although I can only drink fruit wine and rice wine.

But that rice wine has absolutely no alcohol content, so let's make some for tonight too.

She had just finished making arrangements and was about to eat watermelon when someone came looking for her.

Upon seeing Zhou Wanwan, the yamen runner immediately plastered a fawning smile on his face, "Miss Wanwan, the prefect requests your presence."

Zhou Wanwan rolled her eyes lazily. "What do you want? I haven't provoked him lately."

The constable quickly smiled apologetically:

"Miss, you haven't caused any trouble. It's the Prefect who wants to invite you over to discuss planting sweet potatoes."

He said there's a crop called sweet potato that has an extremely high yield per acre, and he'd like to invite you over to discuss it.

"Oh, is that so!"

Zhou Wanwan waved her hand. "I understand. So, how do you plan for me to get there?"

The constable hurriedly replied, "I brought a carriage specifically to pick you up. I'll make sure you get back An'an."

Zhou Wanwan nodded and stepped into the carriage.

Before long, the carriage stopped at the county government office.

As soon as she entered, she saw that many officials were already seated in the hall.

Upon seeing her enter, everyone stood up in unison, each one respectful and not daring to even breathe loudly.

Only Shen Congrong, seated in the main seat, scoffed and said:

"Zhou Wanwan, you actually dared to come! I heard you produced some kind of sweet potato, and you even dared to shamelessly claim a yield of two to three thousand catties per mu?"

What nonsense are you spouting! Everyone knows that an acre of land can only yield a maximum of four or five hundred catties of grain.

"How dare you ask for two or three thousand catties? Do you really think everyone in the county government is so easily fooled?"

Zhou Wanwan said speechlessly:

Why would I try to fool you? If you don't want to plant, then don't! What does it have to do with me?

Besides, do you think there are that many sweet potato vines? Even if you want them, I won't give them to you!

These sweet potato vines are not only needed by others, but also very much needed in her village.

Moreover, she has many farms that also need her.

The officials from Jiangnan surrounding Shen Congrong couldn't help but say:

"You people from Dongshan Prefecture really spoil a child, taking such childish words seriously."

If such food existed, wouldn't it save many lives?

"But what if we can't grow this kind of grain? How many people will this child cause to die?"

"So, you people from Dongshan Prefecture have spoiled her rotten."

Zhou Wanwan smiled faintly and said, "This is a matter for my Dongshan Prefecture, and it's none of your business, you people from Jiangnan."

The official from Jiangnan persisted, saying:

"Then we can't let you harm people here."

Prefect Fang, you should arrest her and her family, and throw them in jail.

If they can't grow this kind of grain, then kill their entire family.

Zhou Wanwan asked directly, as if checking a census. "Are you an official in the Jiangnan region? What rank are you? What are you in charge of?"

The official, displaying his full authority, shouted:

"I am the Provincial Jiangnan Surveillance Commissioner, a high-ranking official of the Principal Third Rank!"

He was in charge of criminal justice, supervision, and official administration in a province, and was responsible for investigating all officials and rectifying their conduct. Even the prefects and governors had to bow and pay their respects when they met him!

How dare you, a mere commoner, be so rude!

Zhou Wanwan looked at him and said, "You're the Jiangnan Surveillance Commissioner? Then go to Jiangnan! What are you doing here in Dongshan Prefecture?"

The Jiangnan Surveillance Commissioner looked at Prefect Fang and said, "Lord Fang, are you just going to let this commoner run wild here?"